Out of the Shadows (20 page)

“Our past is what molds us, but it’s how we tackle the
adversity that really defines us,” Devon replied twirling the pasta around his
fork. His gaze meeting hers. “I think it’s made you a stronger person. Your
determination is quite remarkable.”

“Thanks,” Lark smiled. “I could say the same for you.” Lark
chewed on her lip, she’d said a lot about her family, but was curious about
his. Emily had briefly mentioned their mother. “I know Emmett is a douche, but
what about your mom?” Hesitantly she flicked her gaze to his.

Devon shoved a bite of
s
paghetti into his mouth
chewing it slowly, followed by a long sip from his water glass.

“My mother is a kind and gentle
woman. Rick used to tell me stories about her when I was a boy
. T
he spitfire
he described, and the woman I saw were two completely different people. I know
she loves me, and she would always come to me after the fact, but the times I
needed her she wasn’t there.”

Devon took a long guzzle from his water. “The only time was
when Emmett was about to kill me. She begged for my life then, if she hadn’t of
been there he would’ve killed me. He
ll-“
his hand went to his chest
where the scars were. “-he came pretty close as it is.”

“Maybe there is more to it then you
realize,” Lark offered.

“Maybe, but I doubt it,” Devon conceded after a long moment.
“Anyways, I was thinking of redoing the bathroom next.”

“You're going to do away with the seashells?” Lark smiled
sipping her drink. Letting him change the subject. “I think they’re so you.”

“That was all my grandmother.” Devon laughed.

“Well, you can’t make the house too masculine. Emily’s going
to be there, she needs a little femininity.”

Devon licked his lips a smile gracing his face. “I’ll keep
that in mind.”

***

Lark relaxed into the leather seat of the Jeep as they drove
back to the ranch. The date had gone well, but there was still one thing that was
bothering her. Deciding now was as good a time as any, she asked.

“Vincent mentioned that you don’t
really date, that you push people away. I just… this is nice, I think we have
something and I want to know you aren’t going to push me away cause things are
going
great
,” Lark
rambled.

“When you let people get close to you, they always find a
way to betray you,” Devon uttered.

“Not everybody,” Lark whispered. “I just-“

“Lark, you don’t know what it’s like to grow up in a home
where you have no one on your side. Where it’s obvious that your family doesn’t
want you. I got close to Emily and Vincent, but they had their own demons to
work out at times, and I’ve always been the one to take care of myself.”

Lark opened her mouth but he continued.

“I like you, despite my efforts to keep you away, which
obviously haven’t worked,” he paused a smile slipping across his face as he
turned his gaze from the road to her. “I said I would try to figure whatever
this is out, that’s the best I can do for now.”

“Okay,” Lark agreed. “I know there is something between us,
I just want us both to give it a chance. I haven’t dated in years. And I had a
lot of fun tonight.”

“I did too.”

“Good,” Lark said letting out a relieved breath.

“We should go out again before you leave.”

Lark smiled. “There’s this movie…”

“Hey, Dev, do you have a minute?”
Gene asked as Devon and Lark walked into the front room.

Devon glanced at Lark as she wiped her feet on the door mat.
The pounding rain had taken them both by surprise, drenching them from head to
toe. Strands of blond hair stuck to her face and neck, droplets of water ran
down her body. They were both completely soaked.

“I’m going to go get cleaned up,” Lark said, motioning to
the stairs.

Devon nodded and followed behind Gene to the office, his
footsteps squeaking on the hard wood as they made their way. Gene eyed Devon as
the door closed behind them with a soft click.

“How is everything going with Lark? Is she ready?” Gene
asked.

“As ready as she can. We’re sending her into the lion’s
den.”

“We will finalize everything tomorrow with Derek over the
phone. She and Vincent will leave alone for his homestead first thing Saturday
morning.”

Devon opened his mouth to protest, when Gene continued.

“It’s a day early, but there is a
complication. They’ve moved up the day the leader will arrive to collect Emily.
Apparently her heat cycle is approaching.”

“Shit,” Devon muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. It
was Thursday night. That meant he only had two more nights with her.

“Yeah, they’re apparently not going to waste any time trying
to breed with her.”

“I’ll let Lark know,” Devon ground out. He still hated this
plan, but he’d been unable to think of any other way. It was a shame he didn’t
trust his own brother.

***

Devon scrubbed a hand over his face as he approached the
bathroom. The door was partly open and a frown slid across his face as he saw
movement, familiar blonde curls coming into view. He pushed the door open with
his finger and gazed inside.

Lark had her leg propped on the
counter, lip rolled between her teeth as her blue eyes met his. The small blood
stained towel clutched in her hand caught his attention.

“You’re hurt?”

“It’s not bad,” she replied,
dabbing at the cut on her knee. “I just didn’t realize it had run all down the
front of my leg. I thought I would get a closer look at it before hopping in
the shower.”

Devon took the towel from her,
wetting it in the sink so he could dab at her smooth tanned skin. He inhaled,
his fingers ran across soft flesh, causing desire to stir within him.

“What happened?”

She hopped on her free foot and
gripped the blue marble countertop with both hands to steady herself.

“I caught it on something in the
woods.” He briefly remembered her tripping and falling in the leaves but, she’d
instantly gotten to her feet and trudged on. The incessant rain had more than
likely covered the coppery scent of her blood.

“You should have said something.”
He scanned the scratches on her knee. There were several shallow cuts and one
deep one, but not bad enough to need stitches.

“It’s not that bad, and if you
remember it was a torrential rain. I just wanted to get back to the house,” she
said stifling a yawn.

“What did Gene want?”

“We’re moving the plan up a day.”

“What happened?” Lark chewed on her
lower lip as her eyes slowly rose up to meet his.

“Emily’s heat cycle is coming up,”
he said rinsing the cloth in the sink before dabbing at the cut again. He heard
her mouth pop open and her eyebrow quirk. “It’s kind of like a woman’s
ovulation cycle. It’s the time when she is fertile. Unlike a human woman’s
cycle which is monthly, a were-woman’s cycle is sporadic and comes and goes
when it pleases.”

Lark nodded and averted her
attention to the bloodied rag.

“I understand.”

“Do you?” He asked skeptically.

“This is all really…overwhelming,”
her voice faltered, emotion thick in her tone.

Devon hesitated for a moment,
unsure what to do. Lark was strong, stronger than any woman he’d ever met, yet
her resolve was crumbling. The need to comfort her overpowered him. He reached
his hands up brushing the hair from her face. He cared about her - her
concerns, her well-being, he wanted Lark to trust him.

“It’s going to be okay. If you
don’t want to do this we will find another way.” As much as he wanted Emily
back, he couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Lark.

Lark fell forward, her forehead
resting on his shoulder. He let his fingers slide through her soft matted wet
hair.

“I can’t begin to imagine what
Emily must be feeling right now, and it could happen to me, or Sarah…”

“That’s not going to happen to you,
Sarah, or Emily. Our plan will work,” Devon assured her as she sighed heavily
against his chest, her warm breath sending tingles coursing up his spine.

“I should probably get cleaned up.”
Lark pulled away.

“Here let me help you.” Devon said,
moving far enough back to grab a towel from the linen closet in the bathroom.

“Shower together?” Lark questioned
as he pulled out the crimson towels.

That hadn’t been his intent, but he
couldn’t help the devilish smirk that slid across his face at the idea.

“Do you want to?”

Her breath hitched, eyes widening
as they met his, nodding. She leaned into him, soft lips pressing against his
timidly at first, then needful. His tongue darted out to greet hers. He lifted
her so her bottom sat fully on the counter, nestling himself between her
thighs. He pulled back enough to lock the door before allowing his hands to
roam over her curves.

Devon took his time exploring every
inch of
her beneath his calloused hand. H
e slowly removed her sopping black
top and bra, revealing all her gloriously creamy flesh.

She watched him. Teeth clasping her
bottom lip as he pulled back and pushed his Under Armour black shorts and
boxers off. They fell to the floor with a loud thwack against the tile. Licking
her lips, she slid off the counter. Pressing her chilled chest against his, she
passionately locked lips with him.

With hands on her soaked, skin
tight shorts he walked backwards, never breaking their embrace on their way to
the shower. Exploring her curvy legs with his hand he slid her shorts down to
the floor. A black
lac
y thong greeted him; he smiled, appraising the
beauty before him.

Her thumb hooked around the loop of
her panties, dragging them down. Devon tore his gaze away and reached into the
tub to turn on the water. Lark gasped as he tugged her into him and lifted her
into the tub, pressing her against the hard white tile.

Devon lifted her leg, wrapping it
around his hip as his hand trailed down her chest. He explored the peaks of her
breasts, taking a moment to roll her sensitive nipples between his thumb and
forefinger. Lark gasped against his lips as his hand drifted lower. She bucked
against him as he inserted two fingers into her molten hot center.

Grinning, he timed the thrusts of
his tongue with that of his fingers. Her hands clung to him tighter, leg
lifting higher around him. Devon stopped when her body began to pulse around
him. She let out a muffled cry as he moved his hand.

Positioning himself at her center,
he pushed into her hot core, eliciting a moan from both of them. He placed
kisses down her neck, taking one of her nipples into his mouth. The warm water
glided down them removing the chill from their skin.

He held her close as they moved
together, the intimacy of the moment new to him. Lark was special - he cared
about her. Devon wanted to make her happy; this was more than casual sex, there
were
deep
feelings
behind it. Her warmth invaded him, the way she held him, kissed him. He’d like to
think it meant more to her as well.

He stifled a yell as she groaned
against his lips. Her body writhed against his, nails digging into his
shoulders. He fisted his hand in her hair as he followed her over the edge,
tongue dancing along hers in bliss.

They clung to each other for a long
moment, the steamy water pelting against their already heated skin. Lark panted
breathlessly into the crook of his neck, hands wrapped tightly around him.
Sated, he rested his head on hers, enjoying the moment.

“If you want,” Devon paused closing
his eyes, inhaling her sweet cinnamon-vanilla scent. “You can stay with me, in
my room tonight.” He stiffened, waiting for her response, vulnerability washed
over him. He hated that he cared what her answer would be.

Lark kissed his shoulder, her lips
ghosting along his skin pausing against his mouth. “Okay,” she whispered.

He exhaled muscles relaxing, and
eyes remaining shut.
What am I doing?
He already
knew the answer; he was allowing himself to fall for her.

“We should finish up in here before
the water gets too cold.”

***

Lark rubbed at her eyes tiredly as
she waited for the coffee to brew. The scent of hazelnut permeated the kitchen,
helping to jolt her awake. Her body was relaxed and satisfied. However,
exhaustion had taken over. The late night romp had been incredible, but that
along with the workout and the overwhelming events to come had physically
drained her.

“Hey,” Gene greeted as he walked into the kitchen.

Lark stifled a yawn giving him a nod as he grabbed a mug from
the cupboard.

“I just started a fresh batch. Long
night?”

“It will be a long day too.”

“Everything okay?”

Gene’s eyes met hers, eyebrow quirked, his eyes staring at
her.

“I know Devon told you the plans
have changed.”

“Yeah, we talked.”

His brow dipped into a frown, “Lark, I’m not sure what is
going on between you and Devon-“

“Gene, I’m fine,” she cut him off.

She fiddled with the handle of her
mug, nervous flutters filling her stomach under the scrutiny of his gaze.

“Don’t get all big brothery on me. I’m
allowed to have sex, and old enough to know what I am doing.”

“Fine,” he huffed pulling the pot off and pouring the
steaming liquid into their mugs. “When did you two go from hating each other
to…other things?”

“A few days ago, and we never hated each other. We just
shared different opinions.”

“Just be careful, Lark. Devon tends to push people away
before they can get close to him.”

Lark lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip of the piping
hot liquid.

“I’m not rushing anything, and I can
take care of myself.” She wanted to tell Gene that she’d already broken Devon’s
resolve against her, but held back. Whatever was going on between her and Devon
wasn’t really his business. The things Devon told her had been private, some
she wondered if he’d ever told anyone else.

She and Devon certainly started off
all wrong, but the feelings she was developing for him were growing deeper. She
couldn’t help but wonder if she was already falling in love with him? The side
he showed to people and the man he was were two different people. She’d only
just begun to scratch the surface of who Devon Harris really was
-
a
nd she
liked him.

“I know. I just don’t want either of you to get hurt. You
are two of my favorite people,” Gene teased, throwing an arm around her.

Lark smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thanks,
Gene. But I know what I am doing,” she reiterated.

Vincent strolled into the kitchen
whistling a tune and snapping his fingers. He gave them a smile as he got a mug
from the cupboard and got some coffee.

“Ready for another exciting day?”
He froze taking in their demeanor. “Am I interrupting a family moment?”

“No, I was just about to head to my office,” Gene said
giving her a soft squeeze. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Bye,” Lark called as Gene strode away, sipping his coffee.
She turned to Vincent. “Where’s Marcus?”

“Getting ready, Marcus has been dragging a lot lately. Em
was the one who always kicked his butt in gear. I think it’s beginning to wear
on him. Preston said he would come by later when Sarah comes in at ten.”

Lark nodded. “Emily will be back in a few days though.”

“An optimist like myself, I like it.” Vincent grinned as he
shoveled a spoon full of sugar into his mug.

***

Lark covered her mouth, closed her eyes,
and
yawn
ed
yet again.
Marcus had offered to drive, and she’d been happy to let him
. T
he Ranch’s
Jeeps were more than comfortable. It had been a good thing too. The road was
covered by a dense rolling fog. You could barely see a few feet in front of
you. Even with fog lights and wolf eyes, she doubted it did much to improve
visibility.

The ride remained silent, except for the hum of the motor,
and Vincent’s incessant thrumming on the seat behind them. Most days his habit
didn’t bother her, today, it was annoying. Her head throbbed, a dull ache had
begun once they’d hit the road a few minutes ago.